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Further thoughts on the Glen Keane / Andreas Deja debate

As you might expect, there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Jim Hill shares what he’s learned over the past couple of days.

Published

21 years ago

on

There are those JHM stories that people just seem to ignore. And then there are those other articles. The ones that seem to take on a life of their own.

Take — for example — the “Can a few WDFA die-hards really make a difference?” article. The piece where I talked about how veteran Disney animator Andreas Deja has become something of a hero to many over-of-work traditional animators. All because Andreas is reportedly refusing to work on any on WDFA’s upcoming computer animated features. But — at the same time — Glen Keane (considered by many to be the greatest living animator working today) has become something of a pariah with this same group of people. All because Keane has allegedly agreed to work in CG on Disney Feature Animation, “Rapunzel Unbraided.”

Well, as you might expect, a story that said something like that was rather controversial. Which is why quite a few folks came forward to take issue with the piece. Take — for example — this e-mail from Lee C. which read:

I read your article about WDFA 2D animators refusing to work on CG films, where you wrote:

“Who am I talking about? Feature Animation vets like Andreas Deja. Who — I’m told — is absolutely refusing to work on any Disney CG projects.”

A bit later, I came across an article on-line at VFXWorld.com, about “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas” — an upcoming direct-to-video CGI film. Here’s an excerpt:

Veteran Disney animator and Mickey expert Andreas Deja was on hand to give guidance. “There’s a lot of drawing that’s gone on and it’s funny how there are many traditional skills that go into making this type of CG movie,” Marsden explained. “And when scenes come back to us, Andreas helps draw notes…to make sure that Mickey’s eyes are following Donald or his posture needs to be more depressed or his body should be in a certain pose, and the best way to do that is always to draw. So Andreas has been trying to make sure that things are the way we know Mickey.”

Does that count as “working on” a CG film?

Lee C

Which is a fair enough question, don’t you think? Which is why — with the hope that it would clarify my earlier comments — I spent the following note back to Lee C.

Lee —

I’ll grant you that Deja’s consulting work on “Twice Upon a Christmas” could be viewed (by some) as being somewhat hypocritical. But you have to understand that Andreas has a special attachment to the Mouse, having animated the character in both Disney’s “The Prince and the Pauper” and “Runaway Brain.” So he’s become the go-to guy at WDFA as the company tries to successfully translate 2D Mickey Mouse into 3D.

Also please note the way that that article describes Deja’s contribution on “Twice Upon a Christmas: ” … Andreas helps draw notes …” This isn’t a guy who’s clicking keys or picking up an electronic stylus for this production. He’s deliberately hand drawing stuff and then handing it off to Marsden’s people.

I know, I know. A lot of people would say that I’m splitting hairs. But the fact of the matter is — because Andreas is determined to whatever he has to in order to keep Disney traditional animation alive — the guy’s been reduced to working on a direct-to-video project, “Bambi II.” Which you’ll have to admit is a tremendous waste of talent.

Anyway … Thanks for sending this along this morning, Lee. I really do appreciate that you took the time to try and make me aware of this apparent inconsistency in what Deja says and what Deja does.

Best Regards,

jrh

You did catch that little info tidbit in there, didn’t you? That Andreas is now working on “Bambi II” for the folks at Disney Toon Studios (the folks who produce those video premiere projects for Buena Vista Hoem Entertainment)? Which (let me repeat what I sent in my e-mail to Lee C.) seems like a tremendous waste of talent.

Mind you, other e-mails that I received tried to poke holes in Andreas’ “I’m-not-going-to-work-in-CG” claim as well as trying to defend Glen’s position. Take this note from A:

(ITALICS)

Hello Jim,

Due to your recent attacks from readers on the Glen Keane story, I thought I would tell you what I have heard from my inside sources. It’s a sad story but I don’t feel anger is needed. So here is what I have been told.

Several months ago (about October or November) I was talking to a friend of mine at Disney and he was dishing me some dirt on upcoming projects. He was currently working on “My Peoples” (AKA “A Few Good Ghosts” AKA whatever…) He was telling me how really great the movie was going to be, about it being very funny and everyone at the studio was excited about finishing it (including Andreas Deja who was animating a main character in CG).

Now my friend loved to gossip so he wasn’t one to boast on a Disney film out of fear. Anyway, he had been telling me that they had been having trouble with getting the film’s “look” to be acceptable with feature animation head David Stainton and crew. What they were apparently having problems with was the film was using a sort of reverse take on computer/2D hybrid.

The characters in [“My People”] (described as junk puppets) were to be animated in CG and everything else was to be animated traditionally. The look of the film was to be, when the “human” characters were around everything was very smooth Disney 2D as the puppets lay inanimate, but when the puppets came to life (being CG) the animators were purposefully animating them to look more like old Rankin-Bass stop-motion. (Think Rudolph-but animated like Rudolph, not animated smoothly.) My source said that it looked amazing and it was a real fun, fresh way to use computer animation for this picture. Andreas apparently had his hand in the project puposefully trying to work with CG in a new way.

Now, the problems started to arise when screenings began going through Mr. Stainton and crew. Reportedly, every time they would show dailies and what-not in this new technique, he would tell the animators that he didn’t understand why they weren’t making the animation all smooth and flowing “…like Pixar.” They would say that was because they were supposed to be like stop-motion puppets and not “living toys” like in “Toy Story.” Well, in the end this point was never received and the project was cancelled.

Are you still with me? The Glen stuff is coming up.

At this time, my friend had gone to dinner with Andreas Deja and spoken of his displeasure with Disney. Well, to be frankly honest, he was downright depressed. He had stated that at that time, he was THE ONLY 2D animator currently employed at the California studios. It got bad to the point that Andreas actually moved out of the studio and worked almost exclusively out of his home office.

Now that is that….on to Glen.

During this time, several new projects were being tossed around. “Chicken Little” was one of them. When I asked what the state was with that project, all my friend would say is that the movie started out being a very cute tale of a female chick who says the sky is falling and gets called a freak. She then gets sent to a camp where she met a bunch of other kids and makes friends and blah blah blah. A cute happy story. He said it was pretty good. Then he said for some reason, this whole project got scrapped, the little girl became a little boy and now the story was about aliens attacking the world. That was the last he had (and was interested) to hear of the project.

Also at this time the whole “Princess” line from Disney was being pitched in full force. This is where Glen comes into play. Dave Stainton had told the studio he wanted another fairy tale picture. So Glen Keane and some others had pitched a project based on a story called “The 12 Princesses”. Now, I’m not familiar the story but I was told it’s not about “12” princesses.

When this project was pitched to Dave — before (even) hearing the story — he stated 12 princesses is too many princesses to have in one story. So the project was turned down.

Back to the drawing board, Glen began conceptualizing a very beautiful Rapunzel fairy tale. He did concept illustration, motion tests and all this wonderful work showing how this movie could look….in 2D! Glen was trying VERY hard to get this film produced in 2D, stating — at the pitch — that the studio needed to produce more higher quality movies like the films of old. (“Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Beauty and the Beast” and whatnot.) He had literally done months of work preparing this pitch for “Rapunzel” to show them how well the movie could show her hair in 2D alone.

One of the comments actually made during the pitch (I am not making this up) was “What’s with all the hair?” After all of the work done by Glen (he was exhausted trying to prove his point), Stanton flat out told him the piece would be done in CG and no other way. Glen was offered a chance to learn CG and be an animator and he refused. He said “Absolutely not!” But he had already invested so much time into the project that he decided to stay on as storyboard and animation director to make sure the project was done to its best quality. Well, that’s what I have to say about that subject.

The real irony of the situation is that only prior to the Rapunzel incident, Glen had been called in to “fix” some shoddy CG work done on Ariel for some CG ride Disney had where a bunch of classic characters had been re-animated in CG. Glen was called in because the animator couldn’t animate her HAIR! Glen had to hand animate Ariel’s hair so the CG guys could see how it was done…….shrug. *sigh*

Well that’s about all I have…and can…say. Hopefully this info will be insightful to your readers should you use it. Thanks for your time Jim.

Well, as you can see, this story isn’t quite as simple as we first thought. And I would imagine that today’s article would get even more WDFA insiders to come forward and explain what’s actually going on with Deja and Keane. Two truly talented men who — let’s be frank here — really deserve to be treated better by the flaks who are currently running Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Which is why JimHillMedia.com is going to continue to follow this story. Even though it may result in even more hate mail being sent my way.

As for the hate mail … don’t worry. I’m a big boy. I can take it. Besides, every so often, a nice note shows up in the pile. Like this one — which came from a very good friend of JHM:

Hi Jim,

Seems you’re taking some heat over today’s column about Glen and Andreas.

Having talked to both Glen and Andreas, about Disney’s current problems, I can understand where they’re both coming from. While I don’t expect any one artist to put his career on the line, it would be nice if those wielding some degree of power could speak up for their colleagues. Well, it didn’t happen in the past, and I don’t expect it to happen now.

I don’t blame Andreas for working on those crappy direct-to-videos. Hell, I’ve done it myself. A buck is still a buck. While I know Glen will do his best on “Rapunzel Unbraided,” I still see that as a Disney version of “Shrek.” No originality at the mouse house these days, with the possible exception of Chris Sanders.

Don’t worry about those “self righteous” animators railing against you. Keep on reporting. I love to make them mad, too.

Okay. That note alone should stir up a few hornets at WDFA as well as out there in the traditional animation community.

So what do you folks think?

Related Topics:

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

10 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.


Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.


Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…


Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).


Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.


Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.


Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …


Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …


Photo by Jim Hill


Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.


Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …


Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …


Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.


Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.


Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill 

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …


Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …


Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."


Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.


Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around  August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).


Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th. 

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Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.


Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.


Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.


Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.


Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.


Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.


Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.


Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.


Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.


Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.


Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.


Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.


Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."


Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with  production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie.  But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.


Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.


Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.


Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.


Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.


Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."


Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."


Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.  


Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

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It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

10 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of  Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?


Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015

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